Can i leave work on my unpaid lunch break

juliescot

surreysaver wrote: »

No. Just stating facts.

I doubt that:D

donnajunkie

surreysaver wrote: »

Who told you that - the same person who told you you are not allowed out on your break? LOL. Management lies - do not trust them or anything they say. Opening a fire exit will not alert the fire brigade. Setting off a fire alarm might - but normally someone has to physically telephone them.

opening a fire exit in a supermarket usually triggers an alarm. at a supermarket i go to i have seen it happen when shop lifters do a runner out of one. the last time i was in the shop when the alarm went off everyone had to leave the store so they could make sure there was no fire. so i can understand why people would not be allowed to go out of the fire escape.
i dont think it is as health and safety issue it is a shop lifting issue. they dont want staff pinching stuff and taking it home at break time.

silkyuk9

Ive read this thread and sided with the OP but then i started to think about the reason for leaving premises on a night shift.

Basically i think a company has no right to keep staff in a building whwn you are on your break. I work for the NHS and i can please myself what I do on breaks, but, thinking about it more clearly I have a problem with this issue on a night time.

I work nights on a shift system, but its impossible for me to leave the premises whilst im on a break, reason, i'm a lone worker and i'm in charge of securing the building when on nights.

obviously we have smokers on night shift too, and as im in charge of the security of the building i'm happy to let smokers out of a main door and lock once they have returned some 5 minutes later. as long as I know where they are i'm happy as I know the building is secure once they have returned.

Now, getting back to being aloud to leave site I would say yes of course you are but, if it has an impact of safety, in numerous ways then i have to say no you are not, but i'm saying this purely on a safetly point of view.

If that means day and night staff have different rights then i'm sorry but safetly has to come first in my opinion.

If you chose to do night shifts I think you have to think about the issues that go along with this, plus you get more money for being on nights!

If you can get away with going out and its safe to do so and someone knows you are out and you are accounted for then its a case of turning a blind eye, but if that dissrupts others then you should stay in.

Im on the fruit juice so i hope im making some kind of sence here

surreysaver

I work nights on a shift system, but its impossible for me to leave the premises whilst im on a break, reason, i'm a lone worker and i'm in charge of securing the building when on nights.

I presume you get paid for your beaks, then, and if you do get interrupted, you can start your break again?

obviously we have smokers on night shift too, and as im in charge of the security of the building i'm happy to let smokers out of a main door and lock once they have returned some 5 minutes later. as long as I know where they are i'm happy as I know the building is secure once they have returned.

It is none of your business where they are if they are on an unpaid break if they have left the property!

Now, getting back to being aloud to leave site I would say yes of course you are but, if it has an impact of safety, in numerous ways then i have to say no you are not, but i'm saying this purely on a safetly point of view.

And you are going to prevent people from leaving, are you? How will you do that?

If that means day and night staff have different rights then i'm sorry but safetly has to come first in my opinion.

What's safety got to do with it?

If you chose to do night shifts I think you have to think about the issues that go along with this, plus you get more money for being on nights!

If you can get away with going out and its safe to do so and someone knows you are out and you are accounted for then its a case of turning a blind eye, but if that dissrupts others then you should stay in.

If they are on an unpaid break, how will it disrupt others?

Im on the fruit juice so i hope im making some kind of sence here

Better off sticking to the booze, me thinks...

silkyuk9

surreysaver wrote: »

I work nights on a shift system, but its impossible for me to leave the premises whilst im on a break, reason, i'm a lone worker and i'm in charge of securing the building when on nights.

I presume you get paid for your beaks, then, and if you do get interrupted, you can start your break again?

obviously we have smokers on night shift too, and as im in charge of the security of the building i'm happy to let smokers out of a main door and lock once they have returned some 5 minutes later. as long as I know where they are i'm happy as I know the building is secure once they have returned.

It is none of your business where they are if they are on an unpaid break if they have left the property!

Now, getting back to being aloud to leave site I would say yes of course you are but, if it has an impact of safety, in numerous ways then i have to say no you are not, but i'm saying this purely on a safetly point of view.

And you are going to prevent people from leaving, are you? How will you do that?

If that means day and night staff have different rights then i'm sorry but safetly has to come first in my opinion.

What's safety got to do with it?

If you chose to do night shifts I think you have to think about the issues that go along with this, plus you get more money for being on nights!

If you can get away with going out and its safe to do so and someone knows you are out and you are accounted for then its a case of turning a blind eye, but if that dissrupts others then you should stay in.

If they are on an unpaid break, how will it disrupt others?

Im on the fruit juice so i hope im making some kind of sence here

Better off sticking to the booze, me thinks...

While the NHS has a no smoking rule on or around their sites smokers are VERY greatful when they are let out on a night for a quickie, and they are more than VERY greatful when they have a little security watching them while they are out. Hositpals have to be secure on a night time for obvious reasons. also, staff are not allowed out of the building wearing their uniforms so getting changed into their civvies and making their way off site would take more than 10 minutes, plus were can they go??

In our hospital night staff are very happy with the situation regarding breaks on a night, of course you get staff who do not smoke so we never see them, unless they just go for a wander and a chat.

If individual staff are not happy with the situation then thats up to them to take it up with their manager butin the 20 years I have worked at this hospital I have never come across a member of staff who was unhappy with rules on a night shift.

now im going to try to answer some of the points you have raised in RED.

Ok, yes im a loner worker on a night shift, I have job roles and you are correct i do not get paid for my break, however, I do not get a timed break as such, I take my break when im not doing nothing. It works for me and it works for the rest of my colleagues who do nights on a rota system. We are more than happy with our job role on a night shift.

Maybe its non of my business where sfaff are, but its my ulimate job role of secruity on a night time, staff are more than happy to go out and have a quick fag or use their phone with me present for EXTRA security. It works for them and it works for us. At the end of the day we are there for their security and patients well being. In 20 years staff are more than happy with the way things work on a night time.

I do not prevent people from leaving staff can come and go as they please, but it does not happen, staff are not interested in going out around the dark grounds on a night time, there is a safety aspect here and im sure any female on earth is not really interested in walking aound hospital ground on a 10 minute break. Ask them and they will say 'Its Spooky' Systems are put into place for safety reasons hospitals only employ skeleton crew on nights a ward does not have the luxury of having some 15 to nurses on during nights. you would be suprised if you knew the numbers that are employed on an evening, however, saying that it all depends on the type of hospital and the size of the wards.

Safety has a lot to do with nights actually, as above it all depends on the hospital and numbers etc. We have rules and regulations regarding all apects of incidents at work, and we have set ways put into place to deal with fire, assault, missing people etc.

Ask anyone who do nights, its not very nice and disprupts all kind of things including your own life. If you think you can do a night shift and just do what you want then i'm affraid you are wrong. Its a team effort and peoples lives and in our hands. Of course it all depends on the job and where you are. There are lots of aspects to to look at, but if staff are happy then things are running smoothly, if they are not happy they should take it up with their manager and get their ouw personal issues sorted out.

I prefer the fruit juice thank you!

surreysaver

silkyuk9 wrote: »

staff are not allowed out of the building wearing their uniforms so getting changed into their civvies and making their way off site would take more than 10 minutes, plus were can they go??

They should be getting changed in their employer's time, then. If my employer required me to get changed, then I would require that to be done in their time.

im sure any female on earth is not really interested in walking aound hospital ground on a 10 minute break.

Just females? Men get attacked as well, you know! Or is this just another example of the intstitutionalised sexism in the NHS?

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